Re-mixer for concrete placer



R. H. MOTT May 23, I967 RIB-MIXER FOR CONCRETE PLACER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 8, 1966 INVENTOR, flaw/(P0 A! Morr- BY May 23, 1967 R. H MQTTRE'MIXER FOR CONCRETE PLACER I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1.966

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RE-MIXER FOR CONCRETE PLACER Filed June 8, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. fi/CHAQO M077 BY 'M/1.50M, 515E745 fiAra/aase EMT-v5 & (164 /6United States Patent 3,321,190 RE-MIXER FOR CONCRETE PLACER Richard H.Mott, 1604 W. 3th St., Sioux Falls, S. Dak. 57105 Filed June 8, 1966,Ser. No. 556,203 8 Claims. (Cl. 259-478) This invention relates toconcrete placers and attachments for such placers, and more particularlyto a mixer attachment for a concrete placer which re-mixes plasticconcrete mix in the placer to facilitate pumping of the mix.

A concrete placer is a machine for pumping concrete mix, suppliedthereto as from a mixer truck, to a job site where the mix is to bepoured. By employing one or more concrete placers, mixer trucks can bekept well away from the site where the concrete is being poured, andthis results in a more orderly and efiicient job. Placement costs arereduced substantially and use of the placer provides easy placement ofthe mix in ordinary slab construction as well as in difiicult to reachlocations. Mixer trucks can be kept moving because the concrete placereliminates waiting time for the trucks and keeps trucks out of congestedconstruction areas.

Sometimes the concrete which is supplied to the placer is not as wellmixed as it should be for easy pumping of the mix to the job location.It is believed that a mixing attachment for the placer is needed whichwill knead the concrete and thereby mix aggregate sizes, coat unmixedparticles with cement, and break up balls of unmixed sand.

The mixer attachment of the invention accomplishes these mixingfunctions and thus improves the pumpability of the concrete mix which issupplied to the placer. The mixed attachment includes an auger havingribbon-type auger blades supported for rotation in a hopper of aconcrete placer machine. The auger is rotated by a hydraulic motor whichis coupled to the auger and located with it at the hopper of the placer.A hydraulic pump is located remotely from the hopper at the engine ofthe placer and is coupled to the engine as by a sheave and pulley beltarrangement. Thus, power for operating the pump and the hydraulic motoris supplied from the engine of the concrete placer. A system of conduitsis provided for connecting the pump and the hydraulic motor in ahydraulic circuit which is operative to drive the hydraulic motor withhydraulic fluid supplied from the pump. This conduit system includes avalve which provides on-off control and speed control of the hydraulicmotor by controlling the amount of hydraulic fluid which is supplied tothe motor.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a mixerattachment for a concrete placer which functions to re-mix concretesupplied to the placer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer attachment withauger blades which knead the concrete mix to assure that it isthoroughly mixed before it is pumped to a pouring site.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mixer wherein mixingblades are rotated by a hydraulic motor and the motor is driven by apump located remotely from the motor.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a re-mixer attachment for a placer,the outline of the placer being shown with light lines;

since the invention is capable of other FIGURE 2 is a top plan view ofthe re-mixer and placer of FIGURE 1 also showing the outline of theplacer in light lines;

FIGURE 3 shows the coupling between a hydraulic motor and a gear boxincluded in the mixer;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the gear box of FIGURE 3 showing the drive shaftsfor the auger blades of the mixer;

FIGURE 5 is a view of the rotary blades of the mixer down inside ahopper of the placer; and

FIGURE 6 is a view of the blades when they are located in a raisedposition above the hopepr.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, embodiments and of being practiced or carried outin various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology orterminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not oflimitation.

As shown on the drawings:

The mixer of the invention includes ribbon-type auger blades 12 and 14mounted respectively on shafts 16 and 1 8 which project outward from agear box 20. Auger blade 12 is a right-hand type and auger blade 14 is aleft-hand type. The auger blades are located well down inside a hopper22 to which concrete mix is supplied, the hopper being part of theconcrete placer. The shafts 16 and 1 8 for the auger blades are rotatedby gears within the gear box 20 which are driven by a hydraulic motorgenerally designated 24.

The assembly of motor and anger blades is suspended in and over thehopper 22 of the concrete placer by means of a bracket 26 to which themotor 24 is pivotally jointed. The blades 12 and 14 may be placed in thedownward position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, and in this position thelower end of the motor and blade assembly is suspended from a chain 28(FIGURE 1) which is attached to the top of the hopper 22. The assemblymay be moved to a raised position as shown in FIGURE 6 wherein theblades are above the hopper 22. This position may be used when theplacer is pumping concrete that does not require re-mixing, or whencleaning the machine.

Surrounding the hopper 22 there is an oil reservoir 30 which containsthe oil that is pumped through the hydraulic system of the mixerattachment. Oil flows from the hydraulic reservoir 30 through a standpipe 32, a valve 34, a filter 36 and a conduit 38 to a pump 40 locatedremotely from the hopper 22 near the engine 42 of the concrete placer.Power for operating the pump 40 is supplied by the engine 42 via a belt44 which loops around sheaves 46 and 48, sheave 46 being connected tothe pump 40.

The pump 40 pumps oil through a conduit 50 to a valve 52 mounted belowthe hopper 22. There are two hoses 54 and 56 leading from the valve 52to the .hydraulic motor 24. Oil is directed by the valve 52 through oneof these hoses to the motor. Oil returns through the other hose, throughthe valve 52, and back to the reservoir through another conduit 58.Rotation of the re-mixer may be reversed by reversing the position ofthe spool in the valve 52, or the re-mixer may be stopped by centeringthe spool. The speed of the re-mixer may also be selected by featheringthe spool to direct just enough oil to the hydraulic motor to get thedesired speed. In operation the revolving ribbon augers knead theconcrete, mixing aggregate sizes, coating unmixed particles of cement,and breaking up balls of unmixed sand to thereby facilitate pumping ofthe concrete mix.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, it may be seen that the bearing areas onthe rotating shafts of the mixer are sealed to prevent concrete fromentering the bearings. The hydraulic motor 24 is attached to the tube60, and a gasket 62 is used as a seal at that point. The tube 60 isattached to the gear box 20, and a gasket 64 is used as a seal at thatpoint. Torque is transmitted from the motor 24 to the gear box 20through the drive shaft 66. The bearings in the gear box 20 on the augershafts 16 and 18 are sealed from concrete by a housing assembly 68 oneach side of the gear box. The housing assembly contains a packing seal70 which prevents concrete from entering the housing. Grease is forcedinto the housing assembly on the gear box side of the seal to purge theseal of any particles of concrete which may have entered the seal area.The sealing of the rotating shafts increases the service life of there-mixer attachment.

The invetnion provides a re-mixer attachment which thoroughly mixesconcrete mix which is supplied to a concrete placer to be pumped to ajob site. This is accomplished with a simple, relatively inexpensiveattachment which can be easily hooked up to the concrete placer toaccomplish the mixing.

I claim:

1. A mixer attachment for a concrete placer having a hopper in whichconcrete mix is received and having a reservoir for operating fluid andan engine powering the placer, said mixer attachment comprising rotarymixing blades, motor means coupled to said rotary mixing blades forrotating said blades to mix concrete in said hopper, means forsupporting the combination of said rotary mixing blades and said motormeans at said hopper with said mixing blades in said hopper to extendinto concrete mix when provided in said hopper, fluid pressure meansoperated by said placer engine for driving said motor means and conduitmeans for connecting said fluid pressure means to said motor means andto said reservoir and providing an operative circuit for operating saidmotor means.

2. The mixer attachment of claim 1 in which said rotary mixing bladesform auger means.

3. The mixer attachment of claim 2 in which said auger means comprises aleft-hand ribbon auger and a righthand ribbon auger, and meanssupporting said ribbon augers in axial alignment for rotation.

4. The mixer attachment of claim 1 in which said fluid pressure means islocated remotely from said motor means and is connected thereto by saidconduit means.

5. The mixer attachment of claim 1 in which said conduit means includesa valve between said fluid pressure means and said motor means, saidvalve being operable to control the flow rate of fluid from said fluidpressure means to said motor means to thereby control the speed of saidmotor means.

6. The mixer attachment of claim 5 in which said conduit means includesa line from said reservoir to said fluid pressure means, a line fromsaid fluid pressure means to said valve, feed and return lines betweensaid valve and said motor means, and a return line from said valve tosaid reservoir.

7. The mixer attachment of claim 1 in which said motor means is coupledto said rotary mixing blades by gears provided in a gear box, a driveshaft connected between said motor means and said gears and anothershaft between said gears and said rotary blades, said shafts beingsealed to prevent particles from interfering with the opertion of saidshafts.

8. In a concrete placer having a hopper in which concrete mix isreceived and having a reservoir for pressure fluid and an enginepowering said placer, the combination therewith of a re-mixer attachmentcomprising auger means including ribbon type auger blades, motor meanscoupled to said auger means for rotating said blades to mix concrete insaid hopper, means supporting the combination of said auger means andsaid motor means at said hopper with said blades in said hopper to mixconcrete when placed the-rein, driving means coupled to said placerengine and driven by said engine to in turn drive said motor means,conduit means connected between said reservoir and said driving means,further conduit means connected between said driving means and saidmotor means, and return conduit means connected between said motor meansand said reservoir, said conduit means and said driving means togetherproviding an operative circuit for operating said motor means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,513,012 6/1950Dugas 259-161 2,618,576 11/1952 Brown 259-161 3,227,426 1/1966 Williams259153 3,231,245 '1/1966 Harvey 259l53 WALTER A. SCHEEL, PrimaryExaminer.

R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MIXER ATTACHMENT FOR A CONCRETE PLACER HAVING A HOPPER IN WHICHCONCRETE MIX IS RECEIVED AND HAVING A RESERVOIR FOR OPERATING FLUID ANDAN ENGINE POWERING THE PLACER, SAID MIXER ATTACHMENT COMPRISING ROTARYMIXING BLADES, MOTOR MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ROTARY MIXING BLADES FORROTATING SAID BLADES TO MIX CONCRETE IN SAID HOPPER, MEANS FORSUPPORTING THE COMBINATION OF SAID ROTARY MIXING BLADES AND SAID MOTORMEANS AT SAID HOPPER WITH SAID MIXING BLADES IN SAID HOPPER TO EXTENDINTO CONCRETE MIX